Rapper Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison in Morocco

The 23-year-old defendant faced up to four years in prison for "contempt of constituted authority" and "disrespect toward constitutional institutions." During the hearing held Tuesday before the appeals court in Taza, his hometown, the court upheld the judgment handed down in first instance on March 27. At the bar, the artist insisted he had only wanted to "express his opinions," while the prosecution demanded a harsher sentence.

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Denouncing an "error in judgment," his lawyer Me Mohamed Taïfi specified to AFP that the accusation was not based on any specific musical excerpt. The questioning instead focused on his lyrics addressing corruption, shortcomings in public services, and his rejection of normalization with the Hebrew State.

Incarcerated since early March, the defendant was also questioned about his membership in "Justice and Benevolence" (Adl Wal Ihssane), an Islamist organization officially banned but tolerated in Morocco. It was this very movement that demanded his release as early as Monday through a statement, condemning an incarceration that violates "freedom of expression."

On Bladi.net : Morocco: 8 months in prison for a rapper after his YouTube videos

This mobilization has found a direct echo with the powerful Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH). In calling for the singer’s release in turn, the NGO pointed to a detention it considers a political tool used to restrict public speech in the country.